The A-to-Z of Yeovil's History

by Bob Osborn

yeovil people

henry marsh watts

Solicitor, Town Commissioner and Burgess

Henry Marsh
Watts was born
on 20 March 1801
in Yeovil and
his baptism on
19 April 1801
was recorded in
the Yeovil
Nonconformists'
Register of
Births. He was
the son of
Yeovil solicitor
Samuel Watts the
Younger and
his wife
Elizabeth née
Marsh. Like his
father and
grandfather
before him,
Henry became a
solicitor.

On 22 September
1831 at St
John's church
Henry, at the
age of 30,
married
21-year-old
Elizabeth
Shorland
(1810-1889), the
daughter of
Thomas Shorland
(1778-1837) and
Sarah née
Spiller
(1780-1812).
Henry and
Elizabeth were
to have three
children; Henry
Shorland
(1833-1889),
Sidney
(1834-1918) and
Sarah Elizabeth,
known as Bessie
(1840-1923).
Both sons would
become
solicitors and
Sidney would
become
mayor of
Yeovil. Bessie
married
industrialist GH
Hebblethwaite
and had nine
surviving
children. She
died in Mirfield,
Yorkshire.

When his father
moved to Bath
around 1830,
Henry took over
the law firm and
certainly in
1830, when he
was aged 27, he
was listed as an
Attorney of
Hendford in
Pigot's
Directory. The
same directory
also listed him
as an agent for
the Royal
Exchange Fire
Insurance
Company. The
listings were
repeated in the
Somerset Gazette
Directory of
1840 (which used
the old name of
Cattle Market
for today's
Princes Street)
and Hunt & Co's
Directory of
1850. Slater's
Directory of
1852 repeated
the listings but
referred to it
as Princes
Street. Henry's
final trade
directory
listing was as a
Solicitor of
Princes Street
in the Post
Office Directory
of 1866. This
same directory
also listed
Henry's sons as
solicitors -
Henry in Ram
Park and Sidney
at Princes
Street.

In the Yeovil
Poll Book of
both 1832 and
1834 Henry was
listed by virtue
of owning a
freehold house
in Hendford and
in 1837 HM
Watts,
Solicitor, was
listed in a
House of Commons
Private Bill
concerning
Railway
Subscription
Projects, as an
investor in the
'South Western,
or Kingsworthy &
West Monkton
Railway',
subscribing £1,500
(about £162,000
at today's value
using the
'historic
opportunity
cost' of an
investment
project).

The 1841 census
showed Henry,
listed as a
solicitor, and
Elizabeth living
in Hendford with
their three
children; Henry
aged eight,
Sydney aged
seven and
four-month-old
daughter Sarah.
The 1846 poll
book recorded
that Henry's
abode was in
Roping-Path Lane
in a freehold
house and garden
with a "freehold
close of pasture
ground called
Coggan's
Orchard". The
1851 census
however clearly
recorded Henry
and his family,
together with a
cook and a
housemaid, still
living in
Hendford. Henry
was listed as an
Attorney &
Solicitor while
his son Henry
was listed as an
Articled Clerk
and Sidney was
listed as a
Writing Clerk.

The
1846 Tithe
Apportionment
noted that Henry
not only owned
and occupied
Glenthorne House
(Parcel 31), he
was also the
owner and
occupier of
Bryndene (Parcel
264) immediately
next door to Old
Sarum House.
Given its
status, it is
likely that
Bryndene was his
family home and
Glenthorne House
his law
practice.

Daniel Vickery,
writing in 1856,
noted "Mr H M
Watts has an oak
panel,
representing
Abraham offering
up Isaac, which
for many years
adorned the
kitchen of the
Angel Inn.
The Bank
possesses the
old figure which
stood over the
door". Both the
panel and the
life-size figure
of the angel are
now in the
Community
Heritage Access
Centre,
Artillery Road,
and photographs
of both may be
seen
here.

The 1861 census
shows the Watts
family living in
Princes Street,
Henry now aged
60 was shown as
a solicitor and
Elizabeth was
aged 57. Sidney,
still unmarried
and aged 27, had
no occupation
attributed to
him although he
too was a
solicitor. Also living
at home was
Sarah now aged
24, a cook and a
housemaid. The
situation was
almost identical
in 1871 with the
sole exception
that Sarah had
now left home.
Sidney however
now listed his
profession as a
solicitor.

Henry Marsh
Watts died on 19
November 1877 at
Yeovil. He was
aged 76. Henry
was buried in
Yeovil Cemetery
(see below) with
Elizabeth, who
died in 1889. His
will was proved
in the following
July and his
personal estate
was valued at
"under £10,000"
(but in excess
of £12 million
at today's value). His two
sons, Henry and
Sidney, carried
on the family
law firm.

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